Headsets are used particularly for fastening microphones to the head of the user. In this way, voice input by the user into the microphone can be performed without the user having to hold the microphone by his hands.
Headsets of this type typically include—similar to headphones—a clip that is placed over the head, the clip due to its elasticity tensioning and securing the headset against the head. They can be used, for example, by singers during live appearances or by task force members, for example the police, for communication purposes.
Headsets of this type, however, are expensive, bulky, and at times impair audio reception. Furthermore, they interfere with the visual appearance of the person and interfere with additional head gear the user may be wearing.
Locking a functional device in place to the outer ear by means of slings, suspension clips or the like in general does not guarantee stable, slip-free fastening, whereby the functional device can be positioned starting from the outer ear, for example, as a microphone in the mouth region of the user.
DE 102 27 450 B4 shows a headset for a functional device, particularly a microphone, wherein an insert body is inserted in the concha or auditory canal of the user and held by a retaining clip, which is braced against the concha. On the insert body, a holding device is provided, which carries the attached functional device, for example a rigid wire clip.
Headsets are furthermore used in the medical field to attach transmitters for cochlea implants. These headsets may include a bending element and an otoplasty element to be inserted in the patient's ear, as is described in DE 201 05 562 U1, for example.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,396,935 B1 shows a headset with a rigid, bendable retaining member, and at the ends of which a microphone and a speaker are provided. The retaining member is placed around the auricle of the user and on the inside includes a transceiver for reciprocal communication with a device, which is carried in the shirt pocket, for example.